Mom Mobile, a maternity care program that started with the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, has expanded to Okeechobee County to address a critical gap in local healthcare. Okeechobee County has zero delivery hospitals, with the closest options located in Fort Pierce or Highlands County depending on which side of the community residents live. The 38-foot mobile clinic brings prenatal care and support directly to expecting mothers and their families, stationed at the public library on West 16th Street every Tuesday.
The program's impact became evident immediately. Fifteen women were seen during the first three days of operation, with appointment requests continuing to come in. Twenty-year-old Evelyn Allen, one of the mothers using the service, said she couldn't find affordable resources in the rural area before discovering Mom Mobile. Allen described searching for support after learning she was pregnant and struggling to locate accessible options. She called the program a blessing. Andrea Medellin with the Okeechobee Healthy Start Coalition noted that the mobile clinic intentionally limits daily visits to prioritize quality care for high-risk and high-need mothers.